From f3ba23b8913fc145d7a6f9699f1e8721f440384a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: tdstein <taylor.steinberg@posit.co>
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:38:51 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] chore: adds contributing instructions

---
 CONTRIBUTING.md | 126 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 126 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 CONTRIBUTING.md

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+# Contributing
+
+## Overview
+
+The `posit-sdk` is a software development kit (SDK) designed to facilitate the development of projects using the Posit framework. This document provides instructions on how to use the provided `Makefile` to perform various tasks such as building, testing, linting, and installing the SDK.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before contributing to the `posit-sdk`, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:
+
+- Python 3.x is installed on your system.
+- `pip3` is installed to manage Python packages.
+- `make` utility is installed (commonly available on Unix-like systems).
+
+## Project Structure
+
+The the following files are commonly used during development.
+
+- `Makefile`: Contains various commands to build, test, lint, and install the SDK.
+- `requirements.txt`: Lists the required Python dependencies for the SDK.
+- `requirements-dev.txt`: Lists additional dependencies required for development and testing purposes.
+- `src/`: Contains the source code of the SDK.
+
+## Tooling
+
+The `Makefile` provides the following commands:
+
+- `build`: Build the SDK.
+- `clean`: Remove generated files and directories.
+- `cov`: Generate coverage report.
+- `cov-html`: Generate HTML coverage report.
+- `cov-xml`: Generate XML coverage report.
+- `deps`: Install required dependencies.
+- `fmt`: Format the source code.
+- `install`: Install the SDK locally.
+- `lint`: Perform linting using `mypy` and `ruff`.
+- `test`: Run tests with coverage.
+- `uninstall`: Uninstall the SDK.
+- `version`: Display the current version of the SDK.
+
+## Release
+
+### Instructions
+
+To start a release create a semver compatible tag.
+
+_For this example, we will use the tag `v0.0.dev0`. This tag already exists, so you will not be able run the following commands verbatim._
+
+
+**Step 1**
+
+Create a proper SemVer compatible tag. Consult the [SemVer specification](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html) if you are unsure what this means.
+
+`git tag v0.0.dev0`
+
+**Step 2**
+
+Push the tag GitHub.
+
+`git push origin v0.0.dev0`
+
+This command will trigger the [Release GitHub Action](https://github.com/posit-dev/posit-sdk-py/actions/workflows/release.yaml).
+
+**Step 3**
+
+Once complete the action has completed, the release will be available on the [Releases page](https://github.com/posit-dev/posit-sdk-py/releases).
+
+### Pre-Releases
+
+Any tags denoted as a pre-release as defined by the [SemVer 2.0.0](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html) specification will be marked as such in GitHub. For example, the `v0.0.dev0` is a pre-release. Tag `v0.0.0` is a standard-release. Please consult the specification for additional information.
+
+[PEP-440](https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/#summary-of-permitted-suffixes-and-relative-ordering) provides a good example of common pre-release tag combinations.
+
+For additional definitions see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle.
+
+Currently, the following suffix lineage is in use:
+
+### Release Lifecycle
+
+- `X`: The major version.
+- `Y`: The minor version.
+- `Z`: The patch version.
+- `N`: A variable representing the incremental version value.
+
+**`X.Y.devN`**
+
+A development pre-release. Created to test changes to the release procces. `N` starts at **0** and increments by 1 (`X.Y.dev0`, `X.Y.dev1`, ..., `X.Y.devN`).
+
+*https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/#implicit-development-release-number*
+
+**`X.Y.alphaN`**
+
+An alpha pre-release. Created to support internal user testing. `N` starts at **1** and increments by 1 (`X.Y.alpha1`, `X.Y.alpha2`, ..., `X.Y.alphaN`).
+
+*https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/#pre-releases*
+
+**`X.Y.betaN`**
+
+An beta pre-release. Created to support closed external user testing. `N` starts at **1** and increments by 1 (`X.Y.beta1`, `X.Y.beta2`, ..., `X.Y.betaN`).
+
+*https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/#pre-releases*
+
+
+**`X.Y.rcN`**
+
+An release-candidate pre-release. Created to support open external user testing. `N` starts at **1** and increments by 1 (`X.Y.rc1`, `X.Y.rc2`, ..., `X.Y.rcN`).
+
+*https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/#pre-releases*
+
+**`X.Y.N`**
+
+A stable patch release. Created for backward compatible bug fixes. `N` starts at **0** and increments by 1 (`X.Y.0`, `X.Y.1`, ..., `X.Y.N`).
+
+*https://semver.org*
+
+**`X.N.Z`**
+
+A stable minor release. Created for added functionality in a backward compatible manner. `N` starts at **0** and increments by 1 (`X.0.Z`, `X.1.Z`, ..., `X.N.Z`).
+
+*https://semver.org*
+
+**`N.Y.Z`**
+
+A stable major release. Created for incompatbile API changes. `N` starts at **0** and increments by 1 (`0.Y.Z`, `1.Y.Z`, ..., `N.Y.Z`).
+
+*https://semver.org*